EHV-1 - The Sounds of Silence

We live in an area with a lot of horse activity.  From boarding facilities with show grounds, breeding farms, training facilities, to multiple near-by trails, someone is always hauling a horse some place.

Across the field from our house is the entrance to a popular boarding/show facility which hosts events all year long.  As the weather warms up and the days get longer, they host week-long events.  This is the beginning of their busy season.

The rhythm and sounds of this life surround us and we love it.  But in the last week an eerie silence has fallen. 

Where I usually would spot five or more horse trailers on the road when I head to town, I now don't see any.  The show grounds across from us, so busy this time of year, have become silent.  The horse and alpaca facilities in our area have literally closed their gates.  The world that buzzes around us has come to a standstill. 

The talk right now is EHV-1.  I talk to my fellow horse friends and they, like me, are keeping their horse's home until we see how the situation pans out.  The motto I hear and the one I also choose to take is that it's better to be safe than sorry. 

Yet I wonder if things will ever be the same as I ponder the implications of this haunting silence to the world that surrounds me.